{"id":142379,"date":"2025-09-17T01:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T01:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/142379\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T01:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T01:11:11","slug":"how-michael-collins-is-returning-a-rotting-mansion-to-community-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/142379\/","title":{"rendered":"How Michael Collins is returning a rotting mansion to community use"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

The default option for any project should be to adapt and reuse an existing building \u2013 it is one of the key demands of the AJ\u2019s RetroFirst campaign.<\/p>\n

In the latest in our ongoing case study series, we hear from Michael Collins of Michael Collins Architects about how his practice is helping to revive a 200-year-old, vandal-hit mansion house on the outskirts of Edinburgh to create something \u2018for the community by the community\u2019.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the project?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Michael Collins<\/p>\n

Gracemount Mansion is located in south Edinburgh. It is an eclectic, 1,200m\u00b2 B-listed building. The mansion and its grounds have been an intrinsic part of the development of the local area and its community life for many decades.<\/p>\n

The house, the walled garden and its grounds have had a rich history and association with the development of the local area and, through successive partition of its estate, now sit within an area of public housing.<\/p>\n

The building was in public use as a youth and community centre until 2018 and had been an important place for different generations to socialise, learn and access support facilities.<\/p>\n

After its closure, there has been a sense of loss of such a significant resource within the community. It has resulted in a gap in community facilities within the Gracemount area, which is a food desert and one of Edinburgh\u2019s most deprived communities.<\/p>\n

Gracemount Mansion Development Trust<\/a> (GMDT)\u2019s primary aim is to reopen the building and surrounding green spaces as a community hub incorporating food, health and wellbeing services. It will deliver social, financial, educational and economic benefits and become a key part of urban regeneration within the local community. The project is being procured in successive phases but the total budget is around \u00a35.5 million.<\/p>\n

As Passivhaus-certified architects, we\u2019ve supported the project since 2020 as lead consultant and retrofit coordinators and have recently collaborated with CSY Architects<\/a>, which is acting as the conservation team on the project.<\/p>\n

What were the challenges of the existing building?
The building sits within a vulnerable local community with very few amenity spaces. As a result, the grounds have become an informal park of sorts and the building has suffered from severe vandalism \u2013 notably lead theft \u2013 which has caused persistent problems with damp and rot.<\/p>\n

GMDT has acquired the site from the local council and wishes to retain open access for the local community to enjoy the grounds and walled garden allotment during the works.<\/p>\n

The key challenge has been to carefully preserve the building fabric from rot and develop a phasing plan that allows some parts of the building to be opened.<\/p>\n

\u2018Temporary breathable metal window hoardings act as a canvas for public art while allowing the bulding to dry out\u2019<\/p>\n

Design moves have included temporary breathable metal hoarding to protect windows that act as a canvas for public art, but also allow the building to dry out. This aims to reconcile protection measures with community engagement. Other measures include fire-proof perspex panels to protect new windows.<\/p>\n

Level access is a challenge throughout the building without causing damage to the historic fabric. So, a new external lift tower and stair, which serves as an architectural device, will be strategically placed to resolve both of these issues and create a connection with the walled garden.<\/p>\n

Funding is challenging for all projects of this nature, and a spatial plan and servicing strategy have been developed to enable incremental development without abortive work and immediate revenue generation and social impact.<\/p>\n

We have had to design in flexibility within the spaces to accommodate an evolving business plan and anticipate a potential varying range of tenants.<\/p>\n

Had demolition or partial demolition ever been considered?
Demolition was mentioned by some external parties early in the process, mainly in relation to the apparently overwhelming nature of this project.<\/p>\n

\u2018Demolition would be unthinkable for the local community\u2019<\/p>\n

It was clear to GMDT that this would be unthinkable for the local community. Aside from the listing, the building has a strong intangible heritage. It also has a great potential for retrofit, and a strategy was developed to keep as much of the existing structure as possible, with low energy and services carefully overlaid.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Gracemount<\/p>\n

Aside from retaining the original fabric, what other aspects of your design reduce the whole-life carbon impact of the building?
The building benefits from a large flat roof. A substantial PV array is proposed to power a ground-source heat pump array set within the grounds, and MVHR systems are proposed for the new upper levels.<\/p>\n

Breathable wood-fibre board insulation, and limecrete are proposed for the external fabric with a natural clay plaster skim. Water recycled from the main roof will be used in the walled garden.<\/p>\n

Were the planners supportive of the proposals?
The initial phases have received listed building consent and endorsement from Historic Environment Scotland. The later phases have been welcomed by the planning department as part of detailed pre-application consultations.<\/p>\n

The local authority has a vested interest in the protection of the building and [helping] the local community, so it has been great to see that a collaborative and partnered approach has been adopted \u2013 especially in light of the changes that have been driven by the funding environment.<\/p>\n

It was recognised that the significance of the building was its eclectic character, a result of various phases of Victorian and Edwardian intervention. The sustainable measures being adopted do not damage these elements; instead, they overtly add a distinguishable layer relevant to this time of climate emergency.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Proposed interior<\/p>\n

What have been the main lessons from the project that you could apply to other developments?
We\u2019ve learned to see the retrofit and development of a complex community building like this as a continuum over several years, rather than a single construction \u2018event\u2019 that ends. In this sense, it is important to ensure all work, including seemingly mundane aspects such as insulation and temporary measures, has an immediate ecological and social benefit but also is celebrated aesthetically.<\/p>\n

Flexibility and adaptability of the plan to enable early occupation and stewardship are key.<\/p>\n

Is your approach to retrofit and the way you talk about it with clients changing, especially given the increased focus on the climate emergency?
Yes, many clients are interested in operational energy. However, conversations around how demolition needs to be justified or that there is a presumption in favour of retention are valuable exercises too.<\/p>\n

We often make aesthetic arguments also, retaining, expressing and making use of physical fabric as a means to enrich the experience of a building.<\/p>\n

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